1200 is not difficult.

gabriellejayde

I've been reading the forums tonight and have read around 10 different posts from people saying that 1200 is impossible, or that unless they workout, there's no calories left for dinner, or that 1200 calories a day translates to starving yourself or living on only salads.

My diary is open- I eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. If you eat healthy, real food, 1200 calories is not difficult and I'm not starving. make good choices and avoid garbage - then if you go over, it's not a big deal. sometimes I'm under 1200 - I get busy and don't want to eat at 10pm just to get calories in.

Btw, I started at 255, 2 months ago and have lost 29lbs and feel good. I'm not saying that a person with less to lose should restrict as much, but for me, and a lot of other people, losing the weight fast is more motivating to stick to their plan than being allowed to eat more but only losing .5 lbs a week.

MoreBean13

Good for you. It's not a good plan for most. I would suggest going and getting your BF hydrostatically tested or get a DEXA scan done and keep tabs on your muscle mass with that rapid of a weight loss.

theskinnylist

Amen... I do agree. I have 3 meals, 2 snacks, and a dessert after dinner and I'm at 1200 with the right macros for me (40% carbs 40% protein 20% fat and 20-25g of fiber)!

Oh and I'm 5'0...

Willbenchforcupcakes

Glad you can stick with it, but some of us prefer to minimize lean mass losses and would rather lose slower to do so.

Crochetluvr

I started out with 1200 and I just recently bumped it up just slightly to 1250 because I didn't want to go UNDER 1200 and I was tired of seeing the calories in red if was just ONE calorie over 1200.

Anna800

To me yogurt isn't a meal. If you're exercising you need more than 1200 calories.

Cold_Steel

Wow I have a issue going from 1680 to 1440 to 2 lbs lost per week ...

1440 I feel like I am starving but 1680 I dont have an issue at all..

210 lbs 29 years old...

1200 I would be murdering people

gabriellejayde

Glad you can stick with it, but some of us prefer to minimize lean mass losses and would rather lose slower to do so.

If your profile pic is current, you clearly don't have as much fat to lose as I do.
I have noticed that often when someone posts about eating 1200 cals a day, people are quick to jump in to say it's not enough, but slow to ask how much they have to lose.

When I get closer to a healthier weight, I will slowly increase my calories, but for now, 1200 is working, and not difficult.
and I'm not in a coma.

BluthLover

If it works for you that's great. It didn't work at all for me!

gabriellejayde

Wow I have a issue going from 1680 to 1440 to 2 lbs lost per week ...

1440 I feel like I am starving but 1680 I dont have an issue at all..

210 lbs 29 years old...

1200 I would be murdering people

You're a guy. (in case you didn't know). and closer to your goal, i bet. probably even taller than me, unless you're a super short guy.
I would think 1200 would be too low for you too.

gabriellejayde

To me yogurt isn't a meal. If you're exercising you need more than 1200 calories.

why?

Yogurt is sometimes breakfast. Other times, I have eggs or 2 packets of oatmeal. It's a pretty normal breakfast.

stephdeeable

I'm probably pass out after a few days if I only ate 1200 calories, haha. My breakfast alone is usually 500-600.

onyxgirl17

1200 is possible but for some reason isn't healthy for me to hold for any period of time. My hair starts falling out and I have no energy. I try to keep my calories a bit higher like 1400, around my BMR.

kellimr

and I'm not in a coma.

Lol nice! I started about the same as you and have lost close to what you have since August (just don't weigh myself all the time...I tend to become scale-obsessed). I celebrated 60 days on mfp today and eat anywhere from 1200-1250 daily. I am doing great, feeling wonderful & have tons of energy. I don't feel psychotic on so 'few' calories and so far nobody has been murdered lol. It's working for us and that's all that should matter! Best of luck to you on your journey!!

3dogsrunning

Honestly, I checked your diary, I simply could not survive on that. Not saying no one can, but 1200 on what you are eating would be very very difficult for me. A yogurt for breakfast just does not cut it for me. How close do you get to nutrient intakes?
For me, I don't want this to be a struggle, I want something sustainable.

I really dislike the implication that people who need more than 1200 calories eat garbage. I spent 5 months in preparation for a bodybuilding competition eating nothing but "clean" foods, ie lean protein, sweet potato, brown rice, green veggies, etc, ie no "garbage" and still ate more than 1200.

Willbenchforcupcakes

Glad you can stick with it, but some of us prefer to minimize lean mass losses and would rather lose slower to do so.

If your profile pic is current, you clearly don't have as much fat to lose as I do.
I have noticed that often when someone posts about eating 1200 cals a day, people are quick to jump in to say it's not enough, but slow to ask how much they have to lose.

When I get closer to a healthier weight, I will slowly increase my calories, but for now, 1200 is working, and not difficult.
and I'm not in a coma.

I started losing weight at 245lbs, lost 50 lbs in about 14 months before becoming pregnant with my first, and since the birth of my second last year, have lost 44 pounds. So I did start close to where you started. Other than a few sick days, I have never eaten below 1800 to lose weight. I have also maintained almost all my lean mass.

veganbaum

Glad you can stick with it, but some of us prefer to minimize lean mass losses and would rather lose slower to do so.

If your profile pic is current, you clearly don't have as much fat to lose as I do.
I have noticed that often when someone posts about eating 1200 cals a day, people are quick to jump in to say it's not enough, but slow to ask how much they have to lose.

When I get closer to a healthier weight, I will slowly increase my calories, but for now, 1200 is working, and not difficult.
and I'm not in a coma.

I think you missed her point about minimizing lean muscle mass loss by losing weight slowly.

Cold_Steel

Wow I have a issue going from 1680 to 1440 to 2 lbs lost per week ...

1440 I feel like I am starving but 1680 I dont have an issue at all..

210 lbs 29 years old...

1200 I would be murdering people

You're a guy. (in case you didn't know). and closer to your goal, i bet. probably even taller than me, unless you're a super short guy.
I would think 1200 would be too low for you too.

I was just saying 1440 seems to be a rough equivalent in the difference between the losing 2 lbs to not losing etc. I really dont know what my point was .

gabriellejayde

Honestly, I checked your diary, I simply could not survive on that. Not saying no one can, but 1200 on what you are eating would be very very difficult for me. A yogurt for breakfast just does not cut it for me. How close do you get to nutrient intakes?
For me, I don't want this to be a struggle, I want something sustainable.

I really dislike the implication that people who need more than 1200 calories eat garbage. I spent 5 months in preparation for a bodybuilding competition eating nothing but "clean" foods, ie lean protein, sweet potato, brown rice, green veggies, etc, ie no "garbage" and still ate more than 1200.

well of course you can eat more and not eat garbage.
I have no trouble with a yogurt for breakfast, but I usually have an egg white omelet. I usually have a mid morning snack of homeade beef jerky too.

crgrady7367

I'm having difficulty getting to 1200. It seems as if most of the time, I'm under the suggested caloric intake but I'm trying to watch my carbs intake with me having type II diabetes. Any suggestions on how I can get to the 1200 caloric intake. It's also hard to get the 1200 calorie intake since a lot of times, I don't really feel like eating when I'm not hungry.

SoDamnHungry

1200 isn't difficult for me, but I accept that people are different and that it's difficult for some. If you like to eat three decent sized meals, your calories are all gone. I can see why others might find it difficult.